


An Unexpected Calling

by Sharonfofaron



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Nathan Drake - Freeform, Naughty Dog - Freeform, Sam Drake - Freeform, Samuel Drake - Freeform, Samuel Drake x Reader, Uncharted 4, reader imagines, sam drake & reader - Freeform, samuel drake and reader, uncharted - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-05-26 13:05:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15001511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharonfofaron/pseuds/Sharonfofaron
Summary: A long time ago, you grew up in, suffered in, and escaped from a terrible, tiny little country that almost no one knows. Years later, you've managed to make a good life for yourself by working very hard--and by keeping your background a secret that no one in your life knows. You've changed your accent, adapted to a new country, and lived a life of caution and superficial friendships. You're happy, or as happy as you could be perhaps...but then a group of treasure hunters start asking questions, looking for someone with the rare and obscure knowledge that you keep. Will you help them, and how far down into your past are you willing to go?And more importantly, can Sam Drake help keep your nightmares away?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This country is fictional! Enjoy!

You couldn't stop staring at the foreign newspaper in front of you, having actually stopped short in the street on your way to work. The newspaper vendor was looking at you, puzzled; you were the only person who ever lingered to look at the foreign newspapers, since most people usually wanted to see their own New Orleans ones. But you kept looking, for once disregarding subtlety. She was there, on the cover...you could see her tattoos, over her arms...and blood. 

She'd died, then. It was all over. You were the only one left. The thought made your breath hitch for a second, and you actually felt the entirety of your swallow in your throat. Your fingers twitched. If Lucy was dead, then you really were alone. 

You glanced at the description under the photograph, written in Russian; "The unidentified woman was found two days ago in Minsk, having been raped and presumably murdered by an unknown assailant. Any potential witnesses are asked to come forward if they have relevant information regarding the attack."

You looked at the paper for a second longer, at Lucy's bloody arm--then shuddered, and kept on walking, your mouth tight and your heels clicking. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
One Day Ago

Sam and his friends were all sitting in their studio-style office in New Orleans, going over the puzzles again and again. 

"So wait, did you try this combination...?" his brother tentatively asked him, gesturing with his hands, before Sam shook his head to cut him off. "Yes, and that second one too," he groaned, then suddenly sat back in a swivel chair with an even bigger groan and reached for a cigarette. Victor did the same with his cigar, and shook his head. 

"This seems like a whole lotta bad news, kids," he said to Nathan, Elena, Chloe, and Sam, who had all been poring over manuscripts and texts unsuccessfully, the puzzles and the clues and the codes meaning nothing to them. "We're really screwed unless we can get someone from Conniptia to talk."

"Why is everyone from there so goddamn secretive?" Chloe grumbled, exasperated. They'd been at this for weeks with no luck, and nobody would tell them anything. Not even a little SHRED of anything. 

"Guys, it might be time to put an ad in the paper," Elena said tentatively, knowing their response. They were all reluctant to formally put the word out that they were looking for this particular treasure; it was an obscure find, but potentially a huge one, and they didn't want to attract any competitors. Especially the kind who would swoop in at the last second, like Nadine and Rafe, who were already keeping tabs on them. 

Elena kept speaking. "We're not having any other luck, and we've tried all our contacts. Come on, it's worth a shot," she said gamely. She looked between them; Nathan and Victor nodded, Chloe shrugged and said "Okay. Competition might make it more fun, after all" with a smirk, and they all looked at Sam. His eyes flicked up to them, his mouth tense on his cigarette--then his eyes squinted a little, darkly, and he stood up with a groan, shrugging on his denim jacket. "All right, all right, FINE," he grumbled, hands going up in annoyance. "But Chloe, try saying that again AFTER Nadine and Rafe have kicked our asses and stolen our treasure." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had only been a day since you'd seen the paper with Lucy's body on it, and you were trying desperately to distract yourself; you worked in a particularly high-end museum, giving tours, and you had maintained your fancy little formal dresses and high heels and friendly smiles despite your stress--but you could still feel how much you were nervously swallowing, and you had only been able to sleep last night after taking sleeping pills. You didn't care much for the local news, but you read it when there was nothing else--like now. Skimming through the pages, sitting on a bench and steadfastly ignoring your food, you suddenly felt grateful that you weren't chewing--because the ad you'd just seen had made your heart nearly settle in your throat. 

"Historians and archaeologists seeking experts on Conniptia, and/or citizens of said country, for assistance regarding  
research and intelligence gathering. Experience with riddles a plus. Reward being offered if applicable. Walk-ins very  
welcome at Sullivan & Associates, 4 Westpark Lane, New Orleans. 561 243 7246. Ask for Elena." 

You stared at the ad for a moment, then abruptly stared off to your right in thought. Lucy was dead...there was no reason not to...

With a firm little shake of your head you gathered your resolve, standing up briskly and heading off down the street. At the very least, you'd finally have someone to talk to...someone to tell...

And there was no way you could let a Conniptian man get that treasure. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The office building was clean, but sparse, and you might have been sketched out if you weren't the type who didn't get sketched out easily. According to the discreet little office list on the entrance wall, your targeted office was up two small flights of stairs. You arrived at a nondescript door at the left of the stairs when you reached the top, and knocked with two polite, but solid, little knocks. 

You could hear talking going on in there--sounded like both male and female voices--but they didn't stop when you knocked, implying that there was some kind of party or something going on and they were expecting more people at the door. Odd, you thought. It was 3 o'clock on a Tuesday...

Footsteps suddenly neared the door, firm ones, and then the door abruptly opened. The man wasn't looking at you; he was turned back to say something to someone else, laughingly saying "All right, calm down, hold your horses Victor! I'll get your damn hot sauce! For god fucking sakes--" Then he turned to the front to face you and visibly jolted. His eyebrows went up comically slowly, and you saw his mouth drop. There was a full six seconds of silence before he said, slowly and in a deep, low, subtly gravelled voice, "You're not delivery." 

A little unnerved by his reaction--he'd gone from looking shocked and embarrassed to looking like a weasel about to pounce on a treat, so seamlessly and confidently and with such a disarmingly charming and lazily worn smirk--you smiled at him, using your real and genuine smile. That seemed to freak him out more, since his smile vanished and the big wide eyes and the open mouth came back a little. You decided that talking to THIS man was clearly a waste of time, and decided to get things moving.

"I'm looking for Elena?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This country is fictional!

Sam blinked at you, then blinked again, and again. CHRIST, you were hot. And sexy...

He kept staring, and you started to get a little unnerved again. This man was looking at you like manna from heaven--then switching back to looking like you were a nice meal, and then back again--and the yoyo-ing was disorienting. Your smile faltered a little, and you lowered your head in a little duck, opening your mouth to ask if he was okay and repeat your request for Elena--

"Sam? What's going on?" A pretty, petite blonde woman appeared at his side, her head barely even coming up to his shoulders. You saw another man, a brown-haired one with bright blue eyes and an affable, curious expression (not unlike a terrier, you thought amusedly for a second), looking on in the back. 

Relieved to see someone else, you quickly shifted your focus to the woman, your smile getting big and genuine again. "Elena?"

"Yes, I'm Elena." She looked pleasantly curious to see you, her smile friendly. 

"I'm Y/N. I heard you were looking for some help with...riddles. From Conniptia?"

All three people jerked back when you said that, as if you'd actually pushed them a little in the face. Then you felt their gazes sharpen. There was another long moment of silence, their eyes wide, and you started feeling uneasy. Your gaze nervously darting between the three of them, whose expressions still weren't changing, you began to take a step back. 

"Sorry, never mind--" clearly these people were whack jobs, time to leave 

"Wait!" They all burst out together, voices unexpectedly urgent. The first man--Sam, apparently--actually reached out a hand for you. You looked down at it, where it was aimed close to your waist, then back at his face. He turned bright red, and his face broke into a little smile with a clearly sheepish laugh. You continued looking at him, considering him--you'd never heard someone actually sheepishly laugh before--then moved your gaze very slowly back to the woman. 

"I'm sorry, we're just--we're so excited! We've been waiting and waiting for someone, we'd almost run out of hope. Please, please come in!" She gestured quickly, a big smile on her face, and that smile seemed to ease you if the slight lowering of your shoulders was any indication. Sighing internally with relief, they all stepped back int o the office, backwards, and you stepped in. "This is my husband, Nathan, and his brother Sam," she said kindly, rapidly introducing the men--you shook both their hands, Nate's big grin making your own come back automatically; it carried over to Sam, too, and he looked a little shell-shocked as you shook his hand and said your first name--"We're trying to find--well--do you...know what we're trying to find?" She suddenly got inquisitive, turning back to look at you, face still friendly. 

You nodded. There was only one treasure in Conniptia worth finding: the Devil's Stone. She seemed impressed to see that, and started leading you forward again. There was a large diagram on the wall, an old one, pinned up to a board. It was covered with images and quotes that you could understand, in the language that you'd long ago thought you'd forgotten. Clearly that wasn't the case, if the ease with which you were reading them was anything to go by. Your eyes moved over the board; you were a tall girl, and in heels, so with Elena being such a shorter height you literally towered over her to be about Sam's equal.

Two other people walked in behind you; you heard a woman's voice, saying "Who's this?" in a curious drawl, and heard Nate whispering something to her rapidly along the lines of "We got one!" Your eyes still transfixed on the symbols that you hadn't seen in so long, you slowly dragged your focus away to look over your shoulder and smile politely at the new people, even giving a little wave to be polite. Their eyes widened as they stared at you--one an older man, and one a curvy little dark-haired woman only a bit taller than Elena. 

You turned back to the board, since they just continued staring, and stepped a little closer to it. Elena moved over to sit on top of a desk to its right, so she could watch you watch the board and apparently talk at the same time. 

"Thank you so much for coming," she said, her voice sounding happy and easy. She was obviously relieved that you'd shown up, excited even. "We've been trying to find someone for weeks without any luck!"

"Yeah, well, Conniptians are cagey like that," you said absent-mindedly, running your hands very lightly over the board to feel for any differences, a congenial smile still on your face. There was a page of text taped up next to the board, and you moved your hand to it. It was old, too, just like the diagram, but you felt it carefully. 

"Are all Conniptians also so tactile?" She asked, and you let out a laugh. You suddenly sensed that the other people had moved closer and settled in to watch you, Sam and the other woman being immediately on your left and the other two men being not far off, heads craning. "Yes," you said, still laughing a little as you gently ran your hands over the paper, "but it's because we hide things physically within the text. You see?" You said, gesturing to her suddenly and watching her get up to come over to you, "Feel here. There's a raised portion over that section; that means it's an important one." You felt a strange swelling of something akin to pride in your chest as you guided her; you hadn't talked to someone about Conniptia in so so long...

But you shut it down, at least in your mind; you kept your smile on your face. Your eyes moved back to the passage; it was from the Rape of Leeda, you saw. You moved your hands across it, to see that there was nothing raised on it, which meant that the text itself was important and not the physical document. You thought for a second, and looked over to the diagram--

"It's number three." You pointed at the third image, up near the top. Elena looked surprised. "Really? You can tell that already?"

You nodded, certain of it, and stepped back to sit on a desk nearby. The others stepped forward, obviously being tactile themselves, and started feeling the diagram, looking back at you curiously as they did so, smiles growing on their faces. 

"So this is it?" Sam asked incredulously, a smile growing in his voice as he stepped back, staring at the third image--which featured a small mountain divided into two peaks. "That's the location?" 

He looked back at you, his smile big now and admiration in his eyes, and you nodded with a small little smile. Judging by how your big smile had affected him, you thought it was best. 

His grin grew huge. "Holy SHIT!" He clapped his brother on the back, who was also grinning. "God's balls, we found it. Well-"-he turned and bowed to you in a funny flourish that made you laugh an honest, genuine little giggle, and you saw his smile grow still wider at hearing that he'd made you laugh- "SHE found it." 

"All right, Conniptian mountain it is!" Nathan said triumphantly, and he clapped the older man on the back as he went to sit by him, opening up a laptop (presumably to buy tickets). You felt your neck tighten and your mouth twitch a little at the idea, and you felt Elena shift beside you. Shit. She'd noticed.

"So how did you know?" she asked, and the others turned to look at you. They were obviously a questioning bunch; you liked them. 

Now, you gave out a little sigh internally, trying not to let your discomfort with the topic show. Attempting to seem casual, you shrugged and gestured towards the paper on the board. "That text references Leeda, the woman in mythology who is raped by Zeus when he comes down to Earth in the form of a swan. Those knives--" you gestured to the knives in the third image up above "are bowie knives, the signature kind of knife used to scar and mutilate rape victims in Conniptia. And the woman in that image has just such a rape scar on her arm in that image, meaning that THAT woman is Leeda, not the ones in the other images. There are no knives or scars in any of the others, and only a Conniptian would know what they meant." You leaned back a little, your legs crossed, your arms folded delicately as you turned to look at Elena. You expected to see understanding and excitement on her face; instead, you saw pity and saddened discomfort. A glance at the others confirmed that they were looking the same. 

Discomfited by the pitying looks, you stood up smoothly and brushed the dust off your hands, a casual smile still on your face. "Conniptia's not a very fun place," you said with a rueful little shrug, smile still intact, trying to salvage the situation. You hadn't come here for pity, not really...you'd come so you could share something, anything, about your home. Your hell of a home. 

"Thanks for helping, Y/N," the other woman said quietly, moving closer and holding out her hand. You reached to take it, still smiling nicely. "I'm Chloe." You could hear that she was Australian; Conniptia wasn't far from Australia, and you figured she already knew that. 

You moved to leave, after quietly saying "Good luck" with a smile, but Chloe stepped forward again, hands up in the air a little. "Can I ask--" she hesitated for a second, then kept going "Okay, look, we've had absolutely NO ONE agree to help us all this time, not even to just tell us a tiny tiny bit about Conniptia. So--I mean, not that we're not appreciative--but, if I can ask, why? Why are you revealing the secrets?" 

You looked at her for a moment, considering your answer--and then you knew why you'd come. You hadn't wanted to talk about Conniptia, you just wanted to tell someone about...her--

"There were five of us who escaped together," you said calmly, a little sadly, but matter-of-factly. "Penny, Sophie, Lucy, Maggie and I. We were the only ones who made it out--lots of others tried, and they all died on the way. You see, Conniptians only keep secrets when they involve the people they're close to; I wouldn't hesitate to tell you about some Conniptian stranger. But the five of us, we went our separate ways once we got out and we tried to live normal lives and we AGREED to keep our secrets safe. But then--" you cocked your head, speaking a little more quickly to get it all out-- "two died of overdoses, another from suicide and--and, well, the fourth literally just died a couple days ago halfway across the world. So, you see," you looked at them with a shrug sadly "I'm the only one left. And I don't really have anything left to lose," you laughed, "so here I am. I really don't give a shit anymore; it doesn't matter who I tell. Good luck with the treasure; I hope you find it." Your smile was big and genuine, partly because it just felt so GOOD to tell someone about Lucy, and you turned with a little wave at the men before turning for the door. 

"Wait!" Sam said abruptly. Surprised, you turned to look at him. The others were looking at him too, a little wide-eyed, and he flushed red. "We could...we could use more help," he said endearingly, rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes barely staying on yours. "If you'd...stay?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle are in here a little!
> 
> I literally just looked up venomous snakes and picked the ones that sounded cool, so my fictional country has snakes from all over the place. 
> 
> ENJOY!

Two weeks later, you were sitting in the hangar of Sully's small plane, wearing a sports bra, tank top, and some tight-fitting but lined and comfortable leggings. Your boots were on your feet, and you'd put on a small hoodie since it was rather chilly, and your rustic old Conniptian backpack was by your side, dusty and painful to look at as ever. But it was a lucky backpack, and it had helped you more than once in small ways, so you kept using it. 

Right now, Elena and Nathan and Sam and Chloe were all chatting about something or other, the mood light and the conversation amusing. It had taken two weeks for everyone to tie up whatever loose ends they had in town--you took time off, Elena finished an important article (and took the Conniptian ad out of the paper immediately), and Sully and Chloe both had tasks that they'd left somewhat...mysterious. But now you were off; as it turned out, Nathan hadn't been buying plane tickets on the laptop, because Sully had his own. (Nathan had actually been looking up the mountain). 

"Hey, Y/N," Chloe said suddenly, and you perked up from where you'd been zoned out (unbeknownst to you, Sam had been keeping tabs on you with his eyes the entire time--a fact that went unnoticed by no one else). You looked at her, a pleasant expression on your face; you were in a good mood listening to them, so it was genuine. It was only when you started to think about the end of the plane's flight and where it was taking you that you felt tension fill your body and make you swallow hard. 

For now, you were content to focus on the pleasant company. "Might be a stupid question, but are there any...snakes in Conniptia?" Chloe, it turned out, was not very fond of snakes. You laughed. "Yes. Sorry," you added with a comical little wince when you saw her groan dramatically and flop further back in the makeshift nest she'd made for herself on the floor. "Okay," she said, a hand over her eyes, "What are we talking about here--some little garter snakes? Some of those...wheat snakes?"

You giggled. "Corn snakes?"

Chloe snapped her fingers. "Yes! Those!"

You shook your head. "Nope. Sorry again." She lifted her hand to peek out at you while the others listened. You shifted in your seat and lifted a hand to count them off. "Taipans, kraits, rinkhals, cascabels, pit vipers, cottonmouths, adders, brown snakes, black snakes, mambas, and the occasional fer-de-lance." 

"Hoooly shit!" Chloe sat straight up. "I've never even HEARD of half of those! What the hell is a fer-de-lance?!"

You shrugged. "Tiny little guy, very feisty. Makes you think it likes you and it's leaving before it spins around and bites." 

Chloe's mouth was hanging open, and she drew up her legs. "We don't have those in Australia." 

"Chloe, shouldn't you have gotten used to snakes by now, being FROM Australia?" Elena asked laughingly. Chloe held up her hands defensively. "I was from the city!!" Everyone laughed at her for a while, and when the laughter died down she held her head in her hands. "Okay, Y/N, spiders. What about spiders?"

Seeing her posture, you were hesitant to answer; she looked up at you, and you preemptively winced. "Oh god, never mind," she groaned. "And I presume there's crocodiles? Scorpions? Et cetera?"

You nodded, wearing a rueful smile, and couldn't help bursting out laughing at her face with the others. It would never occur to you that Chloe was deliberately causing a melodramatic scene to help distract you; Elena had talked about it the other day, when you weren't there. 

(Two Days Ago)

The gang (sans you) was all leaving the office for the night, locking it up for the foreseeable future, and saying their 'good nights' to each other when Elena stopped them. "Oh hey guys," she said amidst the cacophony of the late-night conversations, since everyone was leaving at once. "Before I forget, we should probably try to keep the mood light on the way over. It's Y/N," she said to Chloe, who was looking at her curiously. "I think she's pretty uncomfortable with going back there; I mean, there's a REASON she left. Going back, that can't be easy. So let's just try to keep her distracted, okay?" "Shit, you're right," Sully said. "Poor kid. Can't believe I didn't think of that. No worries Elena," he put an arm around her. "We'll make sure she has fun." 

(Back to Present) 

You were all laughing still, when Nate spoke up. "Do you do a lot of hiking or something, Y/N?" He gestured to your obviously well-worn, muted-green rucksack. You nodded. "Yeah, sometimes. Mostly I run on the trails, though." 

"What, like UP the mountain trails?" Chloe asked, her mouth full of trail mix as she ate a snack. "No wonder you're in such good shape." 

You let out a little laugh and leaned your head back against the plane, feeling more relaxed than you'd felt in a long time. You really liked these people--

Sam sat next to you with a grin, and gestured to your bag. "I hear you brought books for us."

You nodded and smiled, turning and reaching into it cheerily. It was nice to be in such a good mood after so long. You spun back to him, your ponytail flying, as you held up five different books to choose from, holding them like a peacock's fan. "What would you like?" You asked with a big, happy smile, your (E/C) eyes bright. 

'You', he thought, and was tempted to say it out loud. With other girls, or if you were alone, he probably would have, disguising it as a flirty line, and you would have laughed it off even though he secretly really meant it...but something about having an audience stopped him. 

Instead, he looked down at the books that you had nicely fanned out. Watership Down, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson, True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle...

His mouth hung open with a surprised grin, and yours faltered. "You okay?"

"Hell YES I'm okay!" he suddenly blurted, too excited to even look bashful at his outburst. "These are some of my favorite books!" He reached for Robinson Crusoe, and you started to put the others back, relaxing as you smiled and expecting him to say 'thank you' and start reading it. You kept Treasure Island out, and turned back from the bag at your right, only to see that he was still sitting sideways to face you and holding the book casually in one hand, leaning towards you a little and sitting fairly close. He was wearing a soft, long-sleeved grey shirt--a Henley, you thought maybe--and it fit him well. All of these people were in excellent physical shape, you'd noticed; it was a good thing you were too.

"You like pirates?" he asked, a big smile on his face when you nodded. "I guess I do," you said quietly, but laughingly, gesturing at the book he was holding lightly. It was strange how, in such a small space, conversations felt so loud. Nathan and Elena were lounging against each other, but watching closely, and Chloe and Sully were both listening but pretending not to be.

"Holy shit, Nathan, she likes pirates," he said a little louder, looking at his brother but gesturing at you, like a showman unveiling a prize. Nathan laughed, and that seemed to be all the response Sam needed, because he went back to talking to you, leaning in like you were friends sharing secrets at a sleepover.

"Which one's your favorite?" 

You held up Treasure Island sheepishly. "Ha!" he said, jokingly shaking his head and shifting to recline. "Crusoe all the way."

You laughed back a little, then a thought occurred to you. "Wait, have you read this one?" You reached back in your bag and held up the Charlotte Doyle book by Avi. He shook his head, curiosity piqued. "No, never heard of it." 

"It's good." You handed it to him, watching him read the back. He always read things so seriously, that you imagined him with little old-man glasses. The thought made a smirk come out on your face, and he saw it as he handed Robinson Crusoe back. The smirk was so like his own that he could only stare for a second, surprised. Silence reigned for a minute, your eyes expectant on his face, before you tentatively said "So what d'you think?" 

'I'm thinking some very inappropriate thoughts right now, that's what', he thought to himself, seeing glimpses of your skin through your sweatshirt and your tank top, and a hint of your sports bra. Some of your hair's ends delicately touched the curve of your neck, and he wanted to be that hair. HE wanted to touch that curve...to kiss it...

He let out a little cough and shifted into a lying-down reading position, moving his torso in a sit-up style easily and without even a grunt. Impressed by his easy agility--most people couldn't do that smoothly and without a noise, including you sometimes--you rearranged yourself to be laying opposite, so you were feet-to-feet. Elena and Nate had their own bench-seats opposite for the position, and Chloe had cheerfully set herself up in blankets on the floor, so you didn't feel bad about being a space-hog. "I think," he said as he finished rearranging himself "I'll give it a try. See you on the other side," and he winked at you. You smiled at him, feeling strangely giddy, then looked down at your own book and started reading. 

Ten minutes later, Sam muttered "Something shady's going on with this crew...", and you tried to hold in your smile, knowing what part he was at. 

"Oh shit, it's a round robin"

"No way, Zachariah's DEAD?" at this he closed the book a little and looked up at you, dismay on his face and an accusation as if you yourself had actually done it. You laughed a little, and he leaned forward in another easy crunch, legs bent a little to talk to you. "Is he? Y/N, is he actually DEAD? What the fuck's gonna happen NOW?" You started to shrug, but he quasi-jokingly held up a finger at you. "Come onnnnn, I promise I won't tell." He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender when you raised an eyebrow, keeping your face serious. "Seriously, one little clue? A wink? Come on, he can't be dead." 

You laughed a little again. "I'm not spoiling it--"

"Y/N..." he drew out your name in a low, mockingly warning tone, and you felt the slow rise in your body that meant you were soon going to be blushing. Thankfully, he stopped looking at you and gave up with a groan to continue reading before he or anyone else could notice it. You found yourself rereading the same lines over and over again until you could feel that the blush had faded, even though Jim Hawkins was living through one of your favorite parts. 

The rest of the ride went on in much of the same fashion, with the others alternating between napping and reading (Chloe took Watership Down) and napping and eating and joking and then eating again. You found that you really enjoyed talking with these guys; they were a lot of fun, and super easygoing, and for perhaps the first time in your life you felt like everything else fell away and you were genuinely just a girl having fun with her friends. You and Sam continued discussing the books once in a while--you let him know when you were at the eavesdropping-in-a-barrel part, and he loved explaining the different parts of the ship's sails to you--and you were all just winding up a comfortable silence with some more fun jokes when Sully leaned back and, in a deceptively jovial voice, said

"We're here." 

And you felt your heart sink.


	4. Chapter 4

Ten minutes later, the plane was landed down in a quiet part of the island--the southwestern part. You stood with a long stretch--an act which showed off your long, lithe body, and made Sam literally freeze in place for a second as he was getting up next to you--then put on your knapsack just as everyone else was doing their own preparations. You could see a little bit of sky, and just the very top of the treeline, out the windows, and you could faintly hear the waves behind you where they sifted the plane back and forth ever-so-slightly. It didn't make you nauseous, the water; it just made you scared. The last time you'd been here...

Never mind that. Your neck tightened for a second, and your eyes flickered, but it was only a moment; then you let your hair down to shake it out in a long (your H/C) swish, literally trying to shake the thoughts out of your head, and began tying it back up--this time in a French braid. 

"I'll never understand how girls just KNOW how to do that," Sam smirked as he walked by, trying to regain some of his signature 'cool' since he felt like he'd lost it by blatantly staring at you stretch. You hadn't seen it, but he sensed that the others had, and he was rather embarrassed. Plus, he meant it; he really DIDN'T understand how girls just automatically knew how to do their hair. 

"Preaching to the choir over here, Sam," Chloe called from where she was tying her boots. "I've got all the hair in the world to work with and I still can't do a thing with it." 

You let out a little laugh, your eyes downcast as you mentally focused on what you were doing with your hands--and definitely NOT what was outside. You felt your legs trembling...

"Are you cold, Y/N?" Elena asked abruptly, and you jolted internally--although thankfully, your little jump didn't seem to make it to the rest of your body. You hadn't even seen Elena get so close--

'Shit, get it TOGETHER Y/N'

"No," You said politely, small smile still on your face and your hands in your hair finishing up your braid. The plane felt quiet all of a sudden. 

"Are you sure? You're shaking..." Elena reached for you to feel your arm, and you saw the moment that she realized what the shaking actually was. You felt everyone watching you somberly. Quickly trying to cut them off before anyone could say anything, you straightened and readjusted your backpack, making your smile bigger--albeit sadder, which couldn't really be helped--saying softly, "Oh, it'll stop soon. Don't worry," you added brightly, but the windows were right behind Elena's head, and you couldn't help it and your eyes were suddenly drawn to it--

girls' screams, moans, babies crying--the men--

You took in a bracing breath, and you felt your body tense for a second, so intrinsically that you hadn't even thought of it in time to stop it--and Elena stepped closer. "Hey, Y/N, you can stay on the plane if you want. We can just call you with questions..." her voice trailed off, already seeing your politely but resolutely shaking head. 

"No, no, it's okay," you said, smile breaking through again. "Really, Elena." You put your hand comfortingly on her shoulder as you stepped by her lightly and headed for the entrance. "I'll be fine." 

You had to be fine, you realized. You were the reason that they were all here. 

Just like last time, you had to be fine. 

While you were getting out, hopping through some shallows before walking onto the tropical beach, the experience feeling incredibly surreal, the others were slowly moving out to follow you. Elena touched Sam's arm, seeing that he was already heading out to be with you. "Hey," she said quietly, her voice serious and her eyes on you. "Stick close to her, okay?" 

"Already doing it," Sam said, and his face was dead serious, his eyes on you too. He stepped out, quickly catching up with you and quickly putting on a big smile, arm companionably going around your shoulder. You jumped at the contact for a second, but relaxed immediately when you saw it was him. 

"So. Are you gonna tell me what happens at the end of Charlotte Doyle or not?"


	5. Chapter 5

The puddle shifted and the water moved around your ankles as you jumped into it spryly, landing from the little incline up above. Sam followed suit immediately, then the others. You'd only been walking in the heavily forested area for about twenty minutes; Conniptia was a land of extremes, with a thick jungle on this end and mountains that served as an abrupt border to the rest of the country--which was all just barren, dusty desert. 

The path widened here, and Nathan came up close on your left as you kept walking. You saw out of the corner of his eye that he was curiously reaching for a tree--

"Don't!" You lunged and pulled him back, throwing one arm in front of him across his chest. He complied immediately, gaze darting between you and the tree. "What??"

"That bark is basically poison oak," you said grimly, "but it will hit much more quickly. You'd be heading back to the plane for medical help after just a couple minutes." 

"Shit," Chloe said, stepping up to look at the bark. "How friendly can this island GET? Really, no need to roll out the welcome mat for us or anything."

You chuckled ruefully. "Right?" You started walking again, going slow, and noticed that the others had shifted to be a little bit more centralized and behind you. "Yeah, maybe you should keep going first..." Elena said sardonically, then you heard her bump Nathan "and YOU shouldn't TOUCH ANYTHING." 

"Gotta say, Nathan, you got a REAL knack for breaking things," Sam said affectionately, and you glimpsed him dodge Nathan's grumpy swipe. 

"No I don't!" 

"You've broken CLIFFS, Nathan." The three others continued after his sentence, one after another, laughing:

"Cars-"

"Trucks-"

"Planes-"

"MUSEUMS-"

"Libraries-"

"Churches--"

"Cisterns--"

"Bells--"

"Temples--" 

"Ancient Cintamani stones--" That last one was Chloe, and you stopped moving for a second. Normally, you might have just walked backwards a little while you talked--but this was not the kind of place for that. 

"Wait--you're the one who did that?" You asked, visibly impressed. Nathan nodded. "Would've been ME if I was here..." Sam grumbled in a singsong voice; the attention that you were giving Nathan was starting to grate on him a little bit.

"Yeah, right," Nate said. He reached to punch him and Sam dodged it again easily with a little boxer's jump sideways. 

"Hey! I'm treasure hunting here!" 

"No, SHE is," Chloe smirked, pointing at you. You turned to start walking again with a little grin; the shaking was almost completely gone, and their banter was a perfect distraction. Sam had also been making a point of asking you lots of questions, usually about books and pirates and decidedly NOT about the island. You could've kissed him for it, and the thought made your breath hitch strangely for a second.

Odd, you thought to yourself. That usually didn't happen to you. Must just be more of your body's stress from the island--

"The Devil's Stone is rumored to have a similar bio-luminescence," you said, going forward and brushing off the weird feeling. "At least from what little we know about it." 

"Hey, Y/N," Chloe asked, as you reached a thicker part of the forest and paused to analyze it for an efficient way through, "How come nobody's found this thing yet? I mean, are Conniptians LOOKING for it, or--"

You nodded. "They did, or--they used to. But not here. Too dangerous. Expeditions would go out, and someone would always die. The only ones to go were the strongest men, and the population is so absurdly small that they just couldn't afford to keep losing them. Not for something that several people believed was just an abstract idea."

"How big IS the population, anyway?" Elena asked as you looked around.

You shrugged. "Couple hundred people." 

Sam had been looking too, and stopped to stare at you in surprise. "Wait, you kiddin' me? That's IT?" 

You nodded with a small smile. If they kept asking about this, you were going to start shaking again--

"Okay, gang," Nathan said, stepping forward and holding up a short sword that you immediately recognized. He grinned. "Who's best with a machete?"


	6. Chapter 6

Sam reached for the machete with a smirk, boyishly eager to show off in front of you (especially since you'd been inadvertently giving Nathan so much attention), but that same brother stopped him, holding it out of reach. 

"Oh no no, not you Sam, not unless there's hazard pay," he said, shaking his head mockingly. Sam glowered at him and raised his hands in exasperation, eyebrows furrowed. "What? Why?" 

"Because you think you're a goddamn pirate, that's why," Nathan snapped, although his little laugh kept it jocular. "We'll be hearing so many 'avasts' and 'scurvy dogs'--" 

"I won't! Scout's honor!" he held up a hand in a mock two-fingered salute. 

"You were never a Scout!"

"Neither were you! I'm gonna be GREAT at this-" 

"While you're playing captain and calling me your first mate-"

"What, like you're suddenly a swordsman?" 

"I fought Rafe off, didn't I?" 

"That was one time-"

"Boys!" Chloe said with a cough, then held in a laugh while they looked at her. "Perhaps the girl who's FROM here might be able to lend a hand?" 

She gestured past them to you, where you were standing a little behind and to the right of Sam. You looked between them for a moment, with a cute little smile as you tried to hold in your own laughter, then stepped forward and held out your hand. "Here, Nathan, I can do it." 

He handed it over, looking chastened, and you saw as you stepped back that Sam had turned a little red. 

"Y/N, if it was too dangerous for the men to come here, how come you seem to know your way around?" Chloe asked as you started the group forward, swinging your machete slowly and cleanly instead of viciously hacking. 

"Almost no one ever comes here growing up, for that very reason," you said absently. "But I did." 

"By yourself? Ballsy." Chloe clucked her tongue, impressed. 

This thick, perilous wilderness had been your refuge. At home, in the desert landscape of the rest of the tiny island, you were either being raped by the boys or actively being the responsible leader (and, as best you could, protector) of the other girls. Being in this jungle, you could just...be. For once. Finally, you would think when you came here, not even caring if something bit you. Nobody would take from you, nobody would NEED things from you--whatever form that took--

The boys had used you for release, the girls for comfort. It was so nice to not be needed sometimes, and to have a quiet that was life-filled, not eerily quiet like in the desert. Here, even the silence was a little alive. And there was no dusty wind that felt like it was choking your soul. 

Your thoughts were interrupted as you rounded a bend and a kingfisher flew by. 

"What kind of bird was that?" Elena asked, and you smiled back at her, pleased that she cared. "A kingfisher." 

"We have those in America, too," she said, grinning back. 

"Yeah," you responded cheerfully, turning back to the front for more sweeps with the machete. "This kind is bigger, though, and less inclined to be seen near waterways." 

After only a couple minutes, the humidity was getting to you. As the group entered a small clearing, sitting down for a break--all of them very carefully checking their makeshift seats before sitting down, and getting approval from you--you took off your light hoodie to reval your tank top. You rolled your neck and shoulders, eyes closed, head tilted upwards, and Sam couldn't stop himself from staring--it was so HOT out, you thought--

"Y/N." It was Chloe's voice, quiet. "What?" You asked good-naturedly, not sensing that it was an urgent question, and turning to look at the group only after finishing your stretch. 

They were all staring at you, and you looked between them, concerned. 

"What?" You asked again, worriedly this time. 

Chloe slowly pointed. "You didn't tell us you had the scars too." 

Your face fell a little, and you looked down at your upper arms even though you knew what they saw. Horizontal white stripes, raised, so many that they actually overlapped each other in weird pale zigzags and bumps. 

You couldn't believe you'd forgotten...for once, you'd actually forgotten to keep them covered, you'd just taken off your sweatshirt to cool off like a normal girl--surprised by your own actions, and a little weirded out by them, you tried to brush it off. 

"Hey, come on," you said with a sad little laugh and a ruefully-tilted smile at her. "How else did you think I knew about what they mean? Like I said--" you stretched out your arms again, bending them over your head and back down before picking up the machete. "Conniptia's not a very fun place. Just consider yourself lucky you weren't born here," you said lightly, sad smile still on, and turned to keep going. The others followed, quietly, as you continued on. 


	7. Chapter 7

The leaves and sharp-edged ferns rustled and jerked around you as they met their demise. Machetes weren't apparently big on nature conservation, you thought to yourself a little ruefully, as you proceeded through the forest. 

It was strangely silent behind you, and you turned, perturbed. Fortunately, they hadn't all vanished; they were there, they just looked...weird.

You turned completely to face them, holding the machete loosely in your hand. "Guys? You okay?"

"Y-yeah," Chloe said quietly. You analyzed her face for a second, then laughed. The sound threw them off, and they all jerked upright a little, surprised. "Guys," you laughed. "Seriously, don't worry about it. Do you see ME feeling sad? Hm?" Seeing that their expressions hadn't improved, you sighed. You chose to look at Sam, since he was staring at you with a strangely dark expression. "It was a long time ago," you said, letting a little sadness color your voice since you knew that was what they wanted. "And in case you've forgotten, the other girls DIED," you said, turning to start machete-ing again. "I consider myself lucky."

"Why isn't the...U.N, or something...trying to help?"

You continued onward, face focused but thoughtful, and answered Elena's question. "Oh, I tried to get them to help. Before the other girls killed themselves or were murdered" you rushed through that part of your sentence "I made sure I had a nice, neat pile of evidence. We told our stories, photographed every bruise and scar on our bodies, even got a doctor to help get blood test results and do exams to show the abuse. And I call every few weeks, the same receptionist, to have her tell me that everything we put together is in the exact same cabinet, gathering dust." 

"That's fucked up," Sam said, his voice low and serious. 

"Yeah," you said quietly. 

"In this day and age, how is none of this getting out?" Nathan asked, brow furrowed behind you. "Is Conniptia really THAT remote?"

You nodded. "Yup. No Internet, no real stores or anything...it's literally like those ghost towns from the Western movies. Dusty clapboard buildings and tumbleweeds and boardwalks and everything."

"How apocalyptic," Chloe muttered darkly. 

You chuckled grimly. "Yeah. This is the nicest part." You punctuated your sentence with another machete hack, making her laugh. 

"Is that why you came out here by yourself?" Sam asked you abruptly. It sounded like he'd stepped ahead of the others to get a little closer, so he was second in line now. "To get away?"

"Yeah. If I wasn't being raped, I was trying to take care of all the other girls and protect them. This was my 'happy place'," you said, mimicking quotation marks with your free hand. They were quiet again behind you, and you realized how disturbing the previous sentence had been. It threw you off for a second; you hadn't meant to tell him that. You REALLY hadn't. It must just be being home, being on this island...it was doing things to you...definitely nothing to do with his disarmingly relaxing voice making you honest. 

Feeling a little embarrassed and guilty for lowering the mood, your mouth twitched in relief to leave the forest, the landscape opening up unexpectedly to show the two-capped mountain right up above and ahead. It was dark stone, very dark, and the treeline ended pretty low down. The mountain looked like something out of Mordor. 

"There it is, guys," you said a little louder, pointing grandly and smiling. 

Chloe, obviously also relieved to move on from the topic, grinned mischievously and walked ahead of you to turn and gesture to everybody else. "Okay, gang. Ready to go find the Devil?"

"Devil's STONE," Sam said caustically, stepping up to be next to you. "You're not gonna say creepy things all the way up there, are you?"

Chloe smirked. "Maaaaaybe."

"Yeah, well don't jinx us," Nate laughed, emerging from the trees with Elena. Looking up at the mountain, and considering everything that happened here, you thought perhaps Chloe might not have been so off-base. 

But then the others started forward, and Sam lingered next to you for a second. You were still looking forward when you felt him start looking at you, and then you felt his hand up on the top of your shoulder near your neck. His touch was gentle, even though his fingers were rough. You found the touch immensely distracting--you were very rarely touched by anyone these days, just in general--and your bright (E/C) eyes went to his. 

He looked serious, and concerned, but with a little smile in his eyes like he already knew your answer. "You good?"

You laughed at the phrasing. "Yes, thanks."

Chloe waved at you up ahead to join her, and you stepped away with a grateful smile back at him as you went. Sam watched you go, smiling a small sad smile, then decided to take your cue and bring the adventure back to being a fun traveling-danger-party. 

Then his mind thought on what he'd just said. 'You good?' He cringed. Goddamnit. Sounding just like some uncouth Boston street kid. That was the kind of thing he said to Nathan, not you. He should have asked if the fair lady was quite well, or something...that thought made him chuckle to himself, and he shuffled to catch up and keep you close, releasing a self-deprecating "You good?" to himself mockingly one more time before he did.


	8. Chapter 8

The rocks crumbled and slid under your shoes as you clambered up the mountainside, all five of you literally on all-fours to do so. It was a very tough climb up what was basically a shale landslide, and someone slid back a few feet every ten seconds or so. 

"Jesus Christ, does this have to be so hard?" Chloe panted out moodily.

"I know," Nate eked out just before falling back a little again, the small rocks and dust flowing downhill to hit everyone else below him--aka, almost everyone--making them wince and cough. "Sorry, sorry! It's almost like," he panted "the Devil's Stone wants us to LEAVE, or something," he said sarcastically. 

You let out a little breathy chuckle at that; you and Sam were at the back of the herd, you because you subconsciously just really didn't want to go first, and Sam because he was intent on sticking to you like glue. Actually, he wouldn't mind that, he thought...being up tight against you, pressed right against your body...every curve of yours meeting his own in just the right ways--

"Sam? You okay?" You asked him; he'd been lagging behind a little, and his sassy remarks had stopped. He was poised on the hill, pausing in one place. He looked up to answer you, then realized that in lagging behind he'd made an enormous error. 

Because now you were up higher, and all he could see was your ass. On all fours, right in front of his face. 

Sam literally felt himself gulp, and you watched as his expression seemed to falter, your brow furrowing a little in concern. "Sam...?"

"Y-yeah, I'm--I'm good," he panted out, hoping you'd interpret that as exertion, but his expression was still dazed, and his eyes were wide. You saw his jaw twitching. 

"Here." You slid down to join him again, carefully, and landed on his left side. "You okay?" Your voice was soft and sweet, and you put a hand on his back comfortingly, watching his face for signs of pain or injury. 

Oh, he was injured all right, Sam thought bitterly, feeling the oh-so-familiar urge below his hips. Injured in a very specific way that was going to become incredibly obvious if you didn't stop touching him soon--and if he didn't stop thinking about your pert, round ASS--

"Goddamnit," he cursed under his breath, and clenched the rocks. Nate, ever the watchful brother, had been keeping an eye on them whenever he got a chance. He saw his brother's need for aid now, and had a good hunch as to what was bothering him. Swiftly, he turned around--after murmuring an excuse to Chloe and Elena--and slid down the hill, all those previous rock-slide-experiences coming in handy. He arrived next to them in just moments, making a grand little dusty entrance as he did so, and said brightly, "Y/N, they need you up there to solve a puzzle or something. Sam and I'll be up in a minute." 

"Okay," you said reluctantly, looking between them. Seeing your concern, Nate caught your eye and winked. "He's fine. See you up there." 

You started crawling again, and it was all Sam could do to stare at the rocks instead of what he KNEW was a glorious sight. 

"Dude," Nathan muttered, crouching down to mimic Sam's position on his right side "you've gotta get a GRIP."

Sam didn't really know what to say; he was embarrassed, but also relieved that his brother was there. 

"Just breathe," Nathan said. "BREATHE. Seriously. It's gonna go away soon."

"Should I be insulted?" Sam muttered back, trying vainly to sound like his normal joking self. Nate laughed a little. "No. It will. Don't worry, Sam, you think this has never happened to me on adventures with Elena?" 

Sam looked at his brother then, seeing Nathan's sheepish, but knowing, smile. "You just gotta breathe and think about something else. Like the puzzles we might have to solve."

Sam let out a long, low breath in a whoosh, circling his mouth in a whistling shape. "Okay. Right. Um...there might be some more obscure texts we'll have to analyze..." 

"mhm..." Nate nodded encouragingly. 

"Or some logic puzzles, if we're unlucky....some matching ones if we ARE..."

"What're the main themes of this Stone again?" Nathan asked, even though he already knew. 

"Umm," Sam's brow furrowed, and Nathan could tell that it was working. "Fire. Lots of fire. And wind...um...something about the Biblical locusts, or whatever, we thought there might be a connection there...knives, violence...." He didn't want to mention the rape. 

After a few more moments of brainstorming and breathing, Sam lifted himself up in a push-up position and inspected the situation, trying to forgo his embarrassment for gratitude. "Okay, I think we're good," he said quietly. "THANKS, little brother." 

"Anytime." Nate smiled kindly. "And seriously, that's DEFINITELY happened to me with Elena. Believe me, I get it. Come on, let's head up."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." They started climbing again, Sam's stress now replaced with an eagerness to be by your side again--even though he now knew that that had its hazards.


	9. Chapter 9

Nate and Sam rejoined you up at the top of the shale-covered mountain, where everyone else was already looking at a six-foot-tall obsidian door carved into the base of its peak.

"Jesus, this place looks like it's the summer home of the Grinch," Nate said cheerfully, and you smiled at him, appreciating his positive spirit. You still weren't happy to be back here, but it WAS kind of exciting to find this door. If this was the life of a treasure hunter, you thought, so far it seemed kind of fun. 

Sam showed up closer to you, looking a little flushed, and you gave him a smile too just before Chloe called your name. 

"Y/N! Come give us a hand with this puzzle, yeah?" 

You stepped closer, seeing a hexagon of symbols and images that looked like buttons. "Hm," you said thoughtfully, gently feeling them, "if we're sticking with the story about Leeda...here." You pressed two buttons at once, and they stayed pressed in as the door began sliding open. 

"There ya go, that's using the old noodle," Sam said behind you. You glanced at him, bemused. "What??"

Sam looked between everyone, looking unnerved. "What? It's an expression! You know, your noodle as in your brain?" 

"Sure. Sure it is." Chloe chuckled and led the way with you, Sam muttering in the back with Nathan. "It IS," you heard him mumble, and heard Nathan murmur something comforting in response. Those two were cute together, you mused before you stepped into the dark, Chloe lighting her flashlight. 

Then the light from outside started filling the room, and your group stood stock still as the room lit up red. A gaping cavern stood before you, filled with giant blood-red carvings and oil pits. As Chloe started lighting one with Sam's proffered lighter, and every corner of the ominous room became visible, Sam whistled. "Now THIS is a fire theme." 

"And here we were expecting swans," Elena laughed, a little unsettled by the room's unwelcoming visage. You were already starting into the room, going slow and studying the carvings as Chloe graciously held her flashlight steady for you. 

"Watch out for traps," Sam said abruptly, remembering that you weren't a treasure hunter and this might not come naturally to you. 

You turned towards him. "What?"

Just then, the floor underneath you gave, and the last thing you heard were shouts of panic as you scrabbled for a grip, falling straight down into a narrow chasm. There was darkness for a moment as you clutched the rocks around you for dear life, keeping your entire body tense and expanded to avoid sliding any further down. Voices up above you made you look up. 

"Y/N? Y/N!" They were a cacophony of voices, everyone shouting at once, and you could see their faces up above looking down at you anxiously. "Oh, thank God," Sam breathed out when he saw you looking back up at him. "Jesus fucking Christ, Y/N, ya okay?" 

"Y-yeah." You shifted in place minutely, using the friction of the tight gap to stay up.

"Here!" Chloe lowered a rope. "We'll pull you up, love!" 

It only took a minute of pulling and climbing for you to be heaved unceremoniously out of the crevice. "Sheesh, you're light," Sam halfheartedly joked as everyone panted. "Maybe we should've stopped for more snack breaks, huh?" 

You laughed a little. "Yeah. Thanks, guys. You saved me." 

"Well, we also kinda sorta forgot to warn you about traps BEFORE we entered the place," Elena conceded tentatively as Sam and Nathan helped you up.

"You sure you're good?" Sam asked, cringing inwardly when he realized he'd asked you that uncouth question again. You smiled and nodded. "Yeah." Your eyes moved to the walls again as you straightened, and you froze. 

"What?" Nathan asked. Your eyes became thoughtful, absorbed, and you inched further forward to read, checking the floor first. 

Then those same eyes widened, and your shoulders sank. 

"Shit." 

"Y/N...?" Elena asked tentatively as you backed up into them and started pacing a little, nervously looking around without actually looking at any of them. 

"Shit shit shit shit shit." 

"Wow, five in a row..." Sam murmured. "Y/N, you okay...?" he asked slowly, brow furrowing a little. 

"SHIT." 

"Aaaaand one big one. All right. You're kinda freaking us out here, Y/N," Sam said with a nervous laugh. "And by 'us' I mean me." His gaze grew serious. 

You sighed and put a hand on your forehead, looking up balefully at the carvings. "I know where the treasure is." 

You slowly looked at them, face grim and resigned. 

"It's under the town."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chasm bit is inspired by a cool scene from Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the new video game!


	10. Chapter 10

"Okay Y/N, hold on," Elena said in a calming voice as you kept pacing, jaw visibly tight and eyes scared. Sam felt himself swallow at seeing you frightened, and knowing why. His fingers twitched, and he suddenly wanted to punch something. "Are you sure?"

You nodded. "Yeah," you said tightly, gesturing up at a carving on the wall, "it's an inverted map of the island, and the treasure's right under the center of town. We can't just walk in there--we can't-" there was actually a little panic in your voice, and hearing it was an unnerving contrast to the composure you'd had up until now. 

"Y/N, you don't have to go," Chloe said gently. "We'll take it from here." 

You took a breath and put your hands on your hips. "No, no I-I can do it. I can do it," you said, bolstering your own spirit. You turned to look at her earnestly. "And besides, Chloe, the Stone, it--aside from an accent and scars, that stone is the only unifying thing that Conniptians have. It's our ONE proud story, our one national symbol--if I can take it, right out from under their noses--" You straightened more. "It would be the ultimate revenge." 

"Are they armed? Any police force or anything we need to worry about?" Nathan asked tentatively. 

You laughed bitterly. "No, we don't even have any. No government or law enforcement of any kind. But armed civilians--yes, probably some. And they'll--" your new resolve faltered for a moment "they'll be very happy to see me." 

"Because you're one that got away," Elena guessed sadly. You nodded, and sounded panicked again. "They can't catch me, Elena, they CAN'T--"

"Hey, we WON'T let that happen," Sam said, stepping forward and sounding more serious and more sad than Elena and Chloe had ever heard him. "Seriously, Y/N. We got your back." 

You nodded, closing your eyes for a second and breathing before meeting his eyes tentatively. "Okay," you sighed after a moment. 

"So what exactly IS in the center of the town?" Chloe asked. 

You rubbed your forehead again. "It's a--an old oil well, a small one. The town just kind of grew up around it. Like I said, the population's small, so we can't just walk in. They'll notice us. Plus they'll be bored, so they'll quickly spread news of something new." 

"Aaaand anyone in particular we should know about?" Elena asked reluctantly, obviously sorry to have to ask the question. 

You shifted in place. "Yes. Rex. We have lots of men who will have gotten older by now, so he and his friends will be the younger ones most likely to be armed and put up a fight." You didn't mention that Rex had also been particularly fond of YOU. 

"If this town is as much like an Old-West ghost town as you say, then there'll only be one main street, right?" Nate asked. You nodded. 

"We can't exactly go stealing the place's biggest treasure in front of literally everybody in the 'country' at once, I suppose," Chloe said sardonically. You laughed ruefully. "No." 

"Okay, so we need a distraction," Sam said. "Who's got a plan?" 

"Well unfortunately, a good distraction would be...me," you said after a moment, and Sam tensed. "But if the treasure's hidden under another puzzle or clue, you might need me there to solve it." 

Sam felt himself relax a little. "Good point."

"How would your friendly neighbors respond to an explosion on the outskirts?" Nate asked. 

You thought for a second. "Well, they're bored and therefore stupid--so they'll probably head right towards it just to watch the flames burn." 

"That could work," Chloe ventured. 

"That will work," Nate said, beaming. "I'll tell Sully to swing by with what we need and make a drop."

"And guns," Sam said. "Don't forget guns." They had a couple, but nowhere near enough if things went south. 

"Okay." Nate started back outside, and Sam called after him. "Just make sure that bomb's not made BEFORE he drops it on us, aright?"

You felt your mouth twitch a little at that. Elena stepped closer. "Y/N, you sure you want to do this? I mean, you don't have to. We could just call with questions, or send pictures." 

You smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks. But it's all right--" You started heading outside, and Sam instinctively started following you "like I said, this will be the ultimate revenge."


End file.
